UFO “ABDUCTIONS” AND OTHER CLOSE ENCOUNTERS

UFOs are real but they are spiritual, not physical realities. The claim of abduction by aliens and being taken aboard a spacecraft is the strangest and most controversial of alleged experiences in the UFO spectrum. Abductions are called “close encounters of the fourth kind.”

Until the 1960s claims of being abducted by aliens and taken aboard a spacecraft were virtually unheard of. That all changed beginning in 1961 with the abduction story of Barney and Betty Hill. Mr. and Mrs. Hill claimed to have seen a flying saucer during a trip through New Hampshire on their way home from vacation on September 19th, 1961. In the days that followed, they were tormented by nightmares and anxiety about UFOs and they could not account for a two hour time period around the time they saw the flying saucer.

Later, under hypnotherapy, they were able to recall an alleged experience of being abducted by aliens. They claim to have suffered a crude medical exam aboard a spacecraft, were interrogated by aliens and saw the inside of the alleged spacecraft. The Hill’s experience made them perhaps the most famous of all UFO witnesses. There was even an NBC TV movie made about their experience. After this, many other people have claimed abduction experiences.

Notice that it was under hypnosis that the Hills were able to recall their experience. Hypnosis is reducing a person into an altered state of consciousness and is extremely dangerous. Many, if not most, abductees can recall their experiences only under hypnosis and many report memories of their abduction experience as being “dreamlike.” The word “dreamlike” is a clue that these alleged abductions are not real life experiences at all but are merely hallucinatory fantasies implanted in their minds by demons.

The Bible teaches that God gives dreams and visions to people. The Bible also teaches that the devil can give visions. Jesus was tempted by the devil in the wilderness. In Luke 4:5 the Bible says that the devil showed Jesus “all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.” The devil apparently gave some kind of vision to Jesus, instantly showing Him all of the kingdoms of the world. Jesus rejected the devil’s temptations during that time of intense spiritual warfare.

Demons can influence the human mind with thoughts, false prophecies, visions, dreams and hallucinations. A UFO “abduction” is simply an extreme form of a dreamlike vision imparted to a person by a demon. In the aftermath of an abduction, many abductees report further paranormal experiences such as seeing apparitions, adopting syncretistic cultic religious views and even experiencing additional “abductions.” In other words, they continue to be deceived by demons. This is spiritual warfare and Christ will set them free from demonic attack if they turn to Him in faith.

Long before people claimed to have been abducted by aliens, many people claimed to be contacted by aliens. There is a difference between an abductee and a contactee. Direct contact by an alien is called a “close encounter of the third kind.”

Centuries ago, Emmanuel Swedenborg (1688-1772) claimed to have encountered aliens and he claimed to have traveled to other planets in the solar system and beyond. His alleged travels did not involve boarding a spacecraft but was rather by occultic practices such as “astral travel.” Astral travel is an occult practice that involves the consciousness separating from the body and going places. Before 1900, contact with extraterrestrial aliens did not involve abduction onto a spacecraft. Contact was made through occultic spiritualistic methods such as during a seance.

Swedenborg lived in an era long before it became known that Mars and other planets in our solar system are barren and void of life. As late as 1964, serious scientists expected to find forests and animals on Mars when our earliest space probes sent back photos! In recent years, the aliens claim to be from star systems a long way off and not from Mars or Venus.

Many contactees have become founders of UFO cults. Madame Helena Petrovna Blavatsky (1831-1891) became the foundress of the occult religion called Theosophy based in part on teachings she received through encounters with alien beings.

The I AM movement, an offshoot of Theosophy, founded in the 1930s by Guy and Edna Ballard, is based on revelations from alien entities. The Aetherius Society was founded by a British man, George King, who claimed to have heard an audible voice saying “Prepare yourself. You are to become the voice of the Interplanetary Parliament.”

There are many other UFO cults including The Unarius Academy of Science, Heaven’s Gate which was made famous by its mass suicide in 1997 and The Raelian Movement.

Let me briefly explain where UFOs come from. UFO researchers are divided into two different viewpoints in explaining UFOs. These viewpoints are the extraterrestrial hypothesis and the interdimensional hypothesis. The extraterrestrial hypothesis is the claim that UFOs are metal spaceships with astronauts from planets in star systems within our own physical universe. The interdimensional view is that UFOs are nonphysical entities or spirits that travel from different dimensions and enter our universe from a parallel universe.

The interdimensional hypothesis is more consistent with the Bible and the Christian worldview because it can be inferred that the other dimensions from which UFOs travel are the same as the realm of spirit. The Bible certainly teaches about the spirit world.

Christian researchers and some secular researchers reject the extraterrestrial hypothesis and maintain the interdimensional view. In studying UFOs, I’ve come to believe that we’re dealing with intelligent life not from another planet but from another dimension. It’s not astronauts from outer space but spirit beings from the realm of spirit.

I regard UFOs as generally of the same category as poltergeists, hauntings, occultism and other manifestations of the demonic realm. I hold this view because the teachings that are transmitted from aliens to the leaders of UFO cults are antibiblical and often lead to bizarre behavior such as the Heaven’s Gate mass suicide. Also, the horrific animal mutilations attributed to UFOs in which animals have their blood drained and have organs removed with surgical precision is further evidence of the demonic origin of UFOs.

(I’m aware that “the sign of the son of man” [Mt 24:30] that will appear in the sky and various biblical angelic manifestations could be considered UFOs under a broad definition of the term. This article is concerned with the vast majority of UFOs described in contemporary media.)

Have no fear of demons appearing as flying saucers or appearing as extraterrestrial humanoid beings. Don’t be deceived by cult groups claiming otherworldly, New Age, extraterrestrial connections and phenomena. The Bible teaches us that Christ is above all and every knee must bow before Christ who conquered sin through His death and resurrection.

It has come to my attention that some people who were in the process of being “abducted” or contacted by extraterrestrials have stopped the encounter by calling on the name of Jesus. (SeeCharisma magazine, April 2001 p. 46) Jesus is the promised Messiah and He is more powerful than demons. The Bible says that “at the name of Jesus every knee should bow” (Phil. 2:10). The demonic extraterrestrials must flee when we command them to go in the name of Jesus.

Valuable explanations and answers to UFO phenomena can be obtained in the book LIGHTS IN THE SKY & LITTLE GREEN MEN: A Rational Christian Look at UFOs and Extraterrestrialsby Ross, Samples and Clark; Navpress, Colorado Springs, 2002. This book provides a compelling biblical perspective and provided much source material for this article.

Steps to salvation:

Jesus said “Ye must be born again” (John 3:7).

1) Believe that God created you and loves you and sent the Messiah (Messiah is Hebrew for Christ) to redeem you.

2) Believe that Jesus Christ came in fulfillment of over 300 Bible prophecies to die for you, to take upon Himself the penalty of your sins (Isaiah 53:5-6, John 6:29, Romans 4:5, First Peter 3:18).

3) Turn from sin and call on the name of Jesus to receive forgiveness of sins (Romans 10:13).

“Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13).

To receive the salvation that Jesus purchased for us at the terrible cost of His suffering and death on our behalf I invite you to pray this simple prayer:

“Dear heavenly Father, I thank you for sending Jesus, the promised Messiah, to die for my sins. I admit that I am a sinner. I repent of my sins and I ask for your forgiveness on the basis of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. I ask you to fill me with your Holy Spirit to empower me to serve you under the Lordship of Jesus Christ, Amen.”

If you prayed this prayer in the humble sincerity of your heart then you have received everlasting life, which includes power to live right in this life and entrance into heaven in the afterlife!